Advancing Safety and Sustainability in Nanomaterials Industry: Methodological, Business, and Regulatory Implications

Abstract

The rapid proliferation of chemicals and nanomaterials (CNMs) has resulted in significant cross‐sector innovation, delivering product enhancements such as improved UV protection and waterproof textiles. However, these advances present urgent challenges regarding human safety, environmental hazards, and regulatory compliance. Despite the recent emergence of various evaluation strategies, the field currently lacks harmonized guidelines, leading to an uneven distribution of expertise and potential risks in safety and sustainability assessments. To address this gap, this study critically examines the methodological maturity of the two most prominent assessment frameworks applied to CNMs: life cycle assessment (LCA) and the safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) framework. Adopting a systematic literature review (SLR) methodology, this research analyzes a final corpus of 64 publications categorized into (i) methodological development, (ii) industrial application, and (iii) regulatory analysis. The findings reveal a marked asymmetry in the maturity, presented as the comparison of application across research sectors, of these frameworks. While scientific literature demonstrates a progressive refinement of assessment tools, their operational maturity in industrial and regulatory contexts remains constrained. The analysis identifies critical bottlenecks, including data scarcity, a lack of standardized descriptors for CNMs, and a “translation gap” between laboratory evidence and current metrics. Furthermore, the study highlights a misalignment between institutional pressures and organizational capabilities, which hinders the transition from theoretical SSbD concepts to routine industrial practice. The paper concludes that achieving true methodological maturity requires a paradigm shift from fragmented compliance efforts toward integrated assessment architectures, supported by robust data infrastructures and socially accountable governance.